Huey Lewis and the News
With Jamie Kent At Tanglewood
Lenox,
Mass.
June
28, 2015
The
unseasonable weather did not stop people from filling the grounds at Tanglewood
in Lenox Massachusetts on a Sunday afternoon when Huey Lewis and his band
arrived.
But before the main act hit the stage a local native
named Jamie Kent entertained us. Living in Nashville now, Kent grew up in
Northampton Mass. He was thrilled to be on stage and he and his partner Reese Williams
performed a fine opening set. Williams played a standup bass with energy and
style while Kent strummed his guitar and belted out songs like his was born to
be there entertaining us all.
After Kent did his set he left the stage and we took a
walk for the break. We saw he was walking around and stopped to speak to him,
which many others did as well. He invited us to the merch tent to pick up his
CD Embers & Ashes. He was very
kind and signed the CD as well as many others for folks that were patiently
waiting for him there. Along the way to the tent he told me that he got his
website URL www.jamiekent.com
when was in seventh grade. He must have known he would be using it at some
point.
Jamie Kent is a very talented singer/songwriter that is
gracious and humble. I can understand why everyone loves him and wants to be
around him. If you want to catch him live go to the Northampton Summer Concert
Series (Old Courthouse Lawn) on July 17th to get a taste of his
folk, Americana rock music. He is currently working on his new album in
Nashville.
I
had never had the opportunity to see Huey Lewis live before but I certainly
remember how he was pumping out all the hits back in the 80s when I was
actually living in the Bay Area from whence he came. He was one of many artists
that took advantage of the popular MTV to help make his music reach a worldwide
audience via videos. Today of course he is a household name. The current tour
is titled While We Were Young, after
the new song they recorded. They did play the song and everyone loved it.
Huey sounds as good as ever and his band is so tight! The
brass section really adds a touch of class to everything and gives the music
another layer that helps to drive home each song with more impact.
Huey and his band are rooted in the blues and they know
how to lay down a number with emotion and endless energy. They kicked off the
proceedings with “The Heart of Rock & Roll” one of their big hits from the
early days. After that the crowd was under his spell as Huey and his band
rolled out the hits, a few acapella numbers as well as some tasty covers like
“Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um” and “But It's Alright.”
After
about an hour it was time to say goodbye but we knew it wasn’t over yet, after
about 5 minutes of applauding, whistling, hooting and hollering they came back
out on stage and gave us four more great songs to complete the set.
Huey assured us he would return to Lenox so I hope to see
him back next year; I would not hesitate to go again.
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Founder of Write A Music
Review, MuzikMan.net, Prog Rock Music Talk, Rate The Tracks and New Age Music
Reviews
Set
List:
The Heart
of Rock & Roll
If This Is
It
I Want A
New Drug
He Don't
Know
The Rhythm
Ranch
Back in
Time
Um, Um, Um,
Um, Um, Um, Um
(Major Lance cover)
Little
Bitty Pretty One
(Bobby Day
cover)
While We're
Young
Heart and
Soul
(Exile
cover)
But It's
Alright
(J.J.
Jackson cover)
We're Not
Here for a Long Time (We're Here for a Good Time)
Encore:
The Power
of Love
Do You
Believe in Love
(Supercharge cover)
Bad Is Bad
Workin' for
a Livin'
